Blog
Palestine Diaries: Part 3 – Silwan
Tired and jet lagged, we awoke fairly early for our first full day on the tour. After breakfast at the hotel, it was time for a crash course in the history of Jerusalem with Professor Hillel Cohen. Cohen gave a very detailed presentation, touching on important political issues such as the emergence of Palestinian nationalism amidst the rise and fall of pan-Arab ideologies, the role of the armed struggle in the development of a national identity, the history of Zionism and the Israeli peace camp, and the history of partition, nakba, war, and resistance. The history of Jerusalem has been and continues to be intertwined with all of these issues, understandably so since it is a focal point for national and religious identities, including a Zionism which had taken on more messianic tones than the early relatively secular Labour Zionism. As such, annexing the whole of Jerusalem, including the Old City and Palestinian East Jerusalem, became more important to the Zionist project and has become one of the main political goals of the Israeli state. For our delegation, Cohen’s presentation helped situate what we were to see in East Jerusalem in its broader political context.
Our delegation was then off to Silwan, a neighbourhood in East Jerusalem of 55,000 Palestinians, and home to the City of David historical site (more on that later). One of the first things I saw in Silwan was a white flag (although somewhat darkened by dust and pollution - including the exhaust of tour buses) which in black, red and green (the colours of the Palestinian flag) said “I Love You Silwan.” As someone who is intrigued by vexillology, I was naturally curious about the flag. Later, it was explained to me that this flag was made as a symbol of the community of Silwan in part as a reaction to “the only democracy in the Middle East” banning the flying of the Palestinian flag in East Jerusalem. This simple little law against freedom of expression is not only one small component of the apartheid systems, but is one step towards the broader political goal of erasing the identity of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem. Of course, one could easily pick out the settler houses by their prominently displayed Israeli flags.
The City of David is a major tourist attraction and home to some rather questionable archaeology. These excavations, instead of examining the entire history of Jerusalem in a relatively objective manner, have a political purpose – to strengthen a connection between the Jewish people of today and the ancient past, in order to provide some sort of intellectual justification for the colonial project. In accordance with the political goals of the Israeli state for East Jerusalem, the intellectual goals of these excavations are to prove that the Old City and the area surrounding it rightfully belong to the Jewish people – thus bolstering the Israeli state’s arguments for controlling East Jerusalem. As for other finds from the Canaanite, Roman, Byzantine and Muslim period, they are ignored or secreted away as they are of little interest to an archaeological authority attempting to make a political point.
Touring the City of David, we can see the public face of this cover-up. Signs within the historical site all contain biblical references, and fail to give a broad history of the history of the area. Of course, the signs do not explain the political context behind many of the archaeological assertions, and many of the assertions themselves are faulty. In fact, among serious scholars, no one can say with certainty where King David’s palace is – it may not even be at the tourist site known as the City of David at all!
Who is behind all of this? Residents the main culprit is the Elad Association/Ir David Foundation, a well-funded settler organization (as one can see by the numerous plaques honouring wealthy donors at the entrance to the tourist site). This organization funds most of the archaeological excavations in order to promote their political goals – Jewish settlement and the displacing of Palestinians in Silwan. As such, it makes for a massive conflict of interest, as their goal of creating a narrative with which to support settlements runs counter to any archaeological principles of objective research and being stewards of history. Elad also hires private security forces, who, according to local sources, regularly harass, provoke and attack the Palestinian residents – sometimes even shooting them. Israeli security forces also harass Silwani residents with arrests and police brutality.
These settler organizations have exploited the Absentee Property Law in order to gain control of Palestinian houses. What they have done is allege that the houses are absentee property (even though Palestinian families are still living there), and thus transfer the land to the Israeli Land Administration, who transfer it to the settlers. Families are then evicted by settlers with police escorts.
House demolitions are another tactic used by the state to gain control of the land. As Palestinians are regularly denied building permits, those who build houses or additions anyways to relieve the pressures of overcrowding can legally be subjected to house demolitions. Of course, settlers who build additions to “their” houses never see them demolished – that is an injustice reserved only for Palestinians. In the Al-Bustani neighbourhood, many homes are under threat of demolition so the municipality can build a tourist park. The construction of this park would render 1,500 people homeless.
Excavations also present a problem for residents of the neighbourhood. Excavations are occurring underneath the houses and gardens of many residents. These excavations cause many problems – foundation issues, cracking in houses, and the appearance of sinkholes. For these excavations, no permission has been sought of the owners of the houses, and after complaints by residents, the Israeli courts ruled that no permission was necessary, thus giving the green light to more excavations.
The municipal government also discriminates against Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem through its funding of municipal services. Silwani residents only receive back a small percentage of the taxes they pay to the municipal services. Even then, instead of going to benefit Silwani residents, a large portion of these taxes go to fund the City of David and its needs. If Silwani children need schools and playgrounds, the municipality builds parking lots for tourists.
After touring the City of David and exploring the area on foot, we gathered in the local community center. This was formed in 2007, in response to a lack of public services and the poverty in Silwan. With 80% of the population living below the poverty line, many Silwani children can’t afford to go to official summer camps, so the center gives these children a place to go for free. The center provides children with many opportunities to play and learn through music, art, theatre and dance, and encourages children to stay in school, something particularly important in a place where the poverty, oppression, and a lack of municipal services add up to a 50% dropout rate.
After visiting the community center, we were off again, to see more of East Jerusalem…
Brian Latour is a student, activist, and student activist living in Winnipeg. Read more by Brian Latour.
